[Excerpt translation from Spanish provided by Business and Human Rights Resource Centre]

A group of physicians from the Health Ministry (Minsa) assisted people affected by environmental contamination in Hualgayoc, in the region of Cajamarca. The specialists from Minsa helped another group, screening persons exposed and at risk of sharp or chronic toxicity. These activities were carried out in the wake of signed compromises of the working group about the environmental problems in Hualgayoc…In accordance to that note, 372 persons that were detected with heavy metals in their blood await attention since 2016, this statistic was registered by the Dirección Regional de Salud (the Regional Directory of Health). With respect to the topic, the regional counsellor Gilberto Regalado praised Minsa for providing free service and treatment. “We expect that these medical checks are not only done, but that the medicine is also provided. Give them what they need. These metals are in their bodies and need a long-term treatment” …In accordance to the Ministerio de Energía y Minas (Minem) (Ministry of Energy and Mines), there exist 1,067 mining environmental liabilities in the province of Hualgayoc. This environmental contamination led to the mentioned Environmental Emergency Declaration (2016) for the risks Tingo Maygasbamba, Hualgayoc-Arascorgue and Perlamayo. [Refers to Las Bambas, part of MMG, part of China Minmetals]